All About Orpington Chickens
Orpington Chicken: Color of Eggs, Varieties, Origin, and Use
Breed: Orpington chicken
Origin: 1886, Black Orpington, County Kent, England, from a Black Langshan-Black Minorca-Black Plymouth Rock cross. The Buff and White varieties were used to make up the Black Orpingtons. Cochin blood was introduced into some of the earlier strains, proven by some of the more loosely feathered specimens exhibited. The first Black Orpington came to America in 1890, and was exhibited at the Boston Show the same year. It was in 1895, however, that the Black Orpingtons were made into a large exhibit at the Madison Square Garden in New York, and its popularity soared.
Varieties: Buff Orpington chicken, Black Orpington chicken, White Orpington chicken, Blue Orpington chicken
Temperament: Generally friendly, easily handled and calm
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Egg Color: Light brown to dark brown eggs
Egg Size: Large to extra large
Laying Habits: On average, 175 to 200 eggs per year
Skin Color: White
Weight: Cock, 10 pounds; Hen, 8 pounds; Cockerel, 8.5 pounds; Pullets, 7 pounds
Standard Description: The plumage of Orpingtons is important in order to maintain the ideal type of the breed. The feathers should be broad and smooth fitting on the deep and massive body of the fowl. The appearance of great massiveness, however, should not be secured by developing extreme length of feathers in the plumage. The sides of the body sometimes erroneously referred to as the “fluff” should be comparatively straight with full, but not profuse, feathering.
Comb: Single, of medium size, perfectly straight and upright with five well-defined points.
Popular Use: A general-purpose chicken used often for meat and eggs. Excellent rate of growth in some lines.
It isn’t really an Orpington if it has: Yellow beak, shanks, feet or skin.
Testimonial from an Orpington Chicken Owner: “I have a few heritage chicken breeds in my backyard and the Buff Orpington is one of my favorites. They are a beautiful chicken with feathers the color of the sun. Most manuals include them as a friendly chicken that works well in a backyard and in a family setting with children. I agree with that since my first Buff Orpington, aptly named Buff, was so friendly she’d sit on your lap and imitate your voice. Our Buff Orpington rooster is friendly and definitely not given to aggressive behavior. But, I do have to say that our final Buff Orpington, Kate, breaks the mold and is possibly the meanest chicken we own. She will not hesitate to peck and does not like to be handled. Overall, this is a breed I would definitely add to my flock in the future. They are generally friendly birds that are cold hardy, heat tolerant and are good brown egg layers through the winter.” – Pam Freeman at Pam’s Backyard Chickens
Sources: The Standard of Perfection, 2001 and the Orpington breed overview from The Livestock Conservancy.
Learn about other chicken breeds from Backyard Poultry, including Marans chickens, Wyandotte chickens and Brahma chickens.
Presented by: Purely Poultry
Originally the February 2016 Breed of the Month and regularly vetted for accuracy.
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Haha, I also have one of those buffies! I call her Floppy because as a pullet, she was bitten by a hen and her comb was damaged so the back end of it flops over. She is our meanest hen and doesn’t take crap from any of the others, including the dominant rooster!
I have had about 10 Buff Orpingtons, amongst other breeds. They are very beautiful birds – great winter birds with a lot of magnificent plumage and great egg layers when younger. They can be egg eaters. They have a range of personalities. Some very sweet and sometimes quite bossy, as they tend to be the largest birds in my flock. All this said – I would totally recommend them. They eggs can be quite large and numerous when young.
They have Lemon Orpingtons now is this true
This cross of the Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner and the English Orpington results in stunning lemon cuckoo plumage. “Cuckoo” is essentially irregular barring, which gives the lemon feathers a sun-dappled look. You’ll love the beauty these gorgeous birds bring to your yard. Talk about eye candy!
https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Fertile-Hatching-Eggs/Hatching-Eggs-Lemon-Cuckoo-English-Orpington-p2320.aspx
I had a pet Rhode Island Red when I was a child that was walking up our street in the city that I caught and we had a lot of fun together along with my German Shepard. When my father did not pick me up after school my chicken would ride the back of my dog and wait for me at the corner and walk home with me. They did have people scratching their heads seeing a chicken on the back of a dog running up the street in the big city outside of downtown.
I saw were a local hardware store was selling baby chicks so I went there and bought 3 Rhode Island Red chicks hoping at least one would survive since I had no idea what to do and my family did not since for generations they have been professional people. I listened to the advice of a store clerk and bought what he recommended and to my surprise & my wife they all lived. Since our 4 children were no longer at home I used the bathtub to raise them.
From what I have read now on the Internet about raising chicks I did about everything wrong from newspapers for bedding to not providing them grit to a bowl of water but the right food. I am trilled that they lived because my girls have brought many hours of happiness to ours old lives. My alpha chicken named Henrietta Cluck, II likes to chase after me pecking at my sweats when she wants meal worms so I give her and my girls what she wanted by having the meal worms in my hand. When they see me thru our atrium door the run/fly to get up the landing to let me they want to see me. I play ball with them and other crazy things and they love the attention. My wife now calls me their “Elvis” because they are my groupie. I would recommend backyard chickens to anyone that wants to have a loving pet(s) with a bonus of being buried in eggs. I had a pet Rhode Island Red when I was a child that was walking up our street in the city that I caught and we had a lot of fun together along with my German Shepard. If my father did not pick me up after school my chicken would ride the back of my dog and wait for me at the corner and walk home with me. They did have people scratching their heads seeing a chicken on the back of a dog running up the street in the big city outside of downtown.
I saw were a local hardware store was selling baby chicks so I went there and bought 3 Rhode Island Reds hoping at least one would survive since I had no idea what to do and my family did not since for generations they have been professional people. I listened to the advice of a store clerk and bought what he recommended and to my surprise & my wife they all lived. Since our 4 children were no longer at home I used the bathtub to raise them.
From what I have read now on the Internet about raising chicks I did about everything wrong from newspapers for bedding to not providing them grit to a bowl of water but the right food. I am trilled that they lived because my girls have brought many hours of happiness to ours old lives. My alpha chicken named Henrietta Cluck, II likes to chase after me pecking at my sweats when she wanted mealworms so I give her and my girls what she wanted by having the mealworms in my hand. When they see me thru our atrium door the run/fly to get up the landing to let me they want to see me. My wife now calls me their “Elvis” because they are my groupie. I would recommend backyard chickens to anyone that wants to have a loving pet(s) with a bonus of being burying in eggs.